MAGNOLIA, Ark. —  Southern Arkansas (8-7 | 4-5 GAC) returned home for its first action of 2026 inside a raucous W.T. Watson Center, as the Muleriders matched up with the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (6-8 | 4-5 GAC) in a down to the wire contest that ended with the Bulldogs taking home a 71-66 overtime win. 

Despite the loss, the Blue and Gold saw a pair of impressive outings in two of their true freshmen, as Hope Bump and Blythe Crawley both accounted for double-digit evenings. Bump, a freshman out of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, recorded her first game with at least 20 points since November 21, 2025, as Bump tallied 24 points against the Bulldogs. Hope went 7-for-19 from the field, 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-8 from the charity stripe. Crawley also recorded a double-digit outing, as the freshman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma scored 15 points against SWOSU. Recording an overall impressive performance for the contest was senior Marlee Bright, as the Glenwood, Arkansas native tallied six rebounds, eight assists, and six steals. 

During the first quarter, the Muleriders started hot with an eight-point lead, after Bump gave Southern Arkansas a 16-8 lead before the Bulldogs began their comeback and cutting the Muleriders' lead to five points heading into the second period, Muleriders up 19-14. 

SAU quickly gained back its eight-point advantage with a Johnna Brockman three pointer, followed by another three ball by the sophomore, for the group to up eleven at 25-14. It was at this point that the Bulldogs made their climb back, scoring 14 points unanswered, heading into the intermission down 28-25. 

After a pair of free throws from SWOSU, the group jumped out to a five-point lead, up 30-25, before the Muleriders began to counter back and eventually tying the game back up at 33-33 with a Crawley shot made from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs went back up four points, 37-33, but was quickly usurped by the Muleriders, with a jumper made by Crawley (37-35) and a three ball made by Bump (38-37). Southern Arkansas even built on this to a 45-39 advantage. SWOSU flipped the script back and grabbed its lead back after a 7-0 stretch, 46-45. 

Southern Arkansas grabbed its lead back, up to a four-point lead. After the Muleriders went up four points (55-51), The Bulldogs countered right back with a 5-0 stretch to go up 56-55, and going up 58-55 with a layup. With a made free throw and a three ball from Bump, the Blue and Gold gained the lead back, 60-58, with 48 seconds to go in the game. The Bulldogs tied the matchup at 60-60 with a pair of free throws at the 35 second mark. With just over six seconds to go, Bump looked to have called game with a made jumper, but SWOSU immediately countered with a layup to tie the game at 62-62, sending the matchup to overtime. 

The two units matched each other for the first two and a half minutes, until the Bulldogs began to separate from the Muleriders with a 7-2 stretch for a final score of 71-66. 

Up Next:

Southern Arkansas faces the 19th-ranked Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers on Saturday for a 1:00 PM tip inside the W.T. Watson Center. 

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